


The Kidnapping of Shmi Skywalker

by Sinvulkt (Wakare)



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anakin Skywalker Needs a Hug, Bcs I need him, Darth Maul didn’t die in TPM, First time tagging, Gen, Human Disaster Anakin Skywalker, I’ll try, Master & Padawan Relationship(s), My First Fanfic, No Beta - The Force said so, Obi-Wan Kenobi Needs a Hug, Padawan Anakin Skywalker, Sith Holocrons (Star Wars), Some angst, Young Anakin Skywalker, even if i have no idea how to write him, since Palpatine refuse to do anything without an apprentice, that’s a tag !?, yeah !
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:15:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27438703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wakare/pseuds/Sinvulkt
Summary: It should be a day like any other on Coruscant. Yet, from that day onward, everything will be different. As that day, is the day where Palpatine has a change of plan.Or, how to steal one of the best guarded artifacts of the Temple without getting caught by one protective Master and a frowning Jedi Council.
Relationships: Anakin Skywalker & Shmi Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 17
Kudos: 26





	1. Day 0

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there !  
> First, thanks for coming on this page !  
> Sooo... it’s my first fanfic ! I hope you saw the tag ;). I began with a simple concept, which is slowly getting out of hand... (already !?) so I truly don’t know what lengths it will be (it still shouldn’t be more than ~ 15k words)
> 
> I’m also quite an irregular writer (but I’ll try my best to satisfy you !)
> 
> Well, then, good reading to you !

It was a day like any other for Shmi Skywalker, in Watto’s workshop. It felt a little empty without the bright presence of her son at her side, but at least was he free, and a Jedi. And, as she liked to remind herself, Watto was not the worst master a slave could get - she repressed a shudder at the thought of Gardulla the Hutt.

It had been a little more than two years, now, that the Jedi came and took her son away. The two suns of tatooine shone brightly when a red-skinned tattooed humanoid entered the shop, bringing a sense of doom in Shmi’s mind. She saw him going to Watto, and, soon, heard an argument burst between the two.

Fear began to fill her : for an unknown reason, the man wanted to buy her. She knew that since Anakin’s leave the shop lost more and more money, and that, if put the right price, her master would not have as much reluctance as before to sell her. But she was a slave, and as such, couldn’t argue. So, when she saw the detonator of her chip changing hands, in exchange for a bunch of wupiupi, there was nothing she could do. Nothing, but hope, and knows that, at least, her son was safe.

The tattooed man came to her, and hauled her away.

***

On the other side of the galaxy, the senator of Naboo was watching the sunset on Coruscant. He had just received a message from his apprentice that the package had been safely secured. He could now begin.

Of course, he had another plan, a complicated one which included waiting years and twisting the chosen one’s mind to the point where he would have had no choice but to follow his lead. He wondered, though, why wait ? Why, when he had such beautiful leverage that could insure, without fail, his future apprentice obedience ? Invisible to the Force, and to the senators around him, Darth Sidious laughed, happy with the birth of his new plan, which, while not as subtle, should assure a good play to come.

***

Anakin Skywalker was late. Like, really, really late. He had snuck out of the Jedi Temple to race last night, and didn’t have the time to finish his homework - contrary to what he had assured Obi-Wan. Hiding in the Library between classes to finish it - though he was almost sure the librarian wasn’t dupe, no Padawan ever came voluntarily to this place, him least of all - he didn’t see the hour pass, and now, he was late.

Hurrying toward his History class - he still didn’t see why he had to study the life of long dead peoples, but his Master told him it was important, so - Anakin remembered the disturbing encounter of last night. Right after the race - a tight win - a stranger had approached him before he could get away, giving him a message. 

Once back, in the dark of his chambers, he had read it, curious as to what it may be, but still cautious. What was written made him blanche : « I have your mother. If you tell anyone, she dies. Meet tomorrow night. » followed by a set of coordinates.

The spike of fear he sent through his bond - and which had probably woke half the Temple - almost caused him to get caught, when a worried Obi-Wan had come over, trying to see what caused his Padawan such distress. Thankfully, he had managed to pass it off as a nightmare, and his Master had left none the wiser - he hoped. But now, the content of the message bothered him to no end. Should he go ? It was most likely a scam, and assuredly a trap. But if it was true… he couldn’t take the chance. He hadn’t seen his mother in two years, but still missed her. 

He would do anything to save her. Trap or not, he had to go.


	2. Day 1 - part 1

The night was falling on Coruscant as Anakin slipped away through the tunnels and ventilation shaft slithering throughout the city. Knowing that nothing good would come out of his encounter tonight, he had stopped by the training grounds to _borrow_ one of the lightsabers they used for training. Not that it was hard to take : the Temple really lacked security against insiders. Which, for now, played in his favor. He just hoped no one would notice the training lightsaber missing, otherwise it might get hard to explain - what with Jedi seeing lies to the Force.

The set of coordinates led him to the middle depths of coruscant, not that far away from his pod racing site. He soon found himself in front of some kind of abandoned hangar. Reaching for the Force, he tried to feel the presence of other living beings, but found none.

Hand on the lightsaber, he entered the hangar, eyes watching for any kind of danger. There, at the center, stood an hologram communicator. As soon as he came close, the hologram activated, projecting the image of a red humanoide, arms crossed. Anakin had the strange feeling of having seen him somewhere before.

For a moment, they just stood there, staring at each other, before Anakin lost his patience. He never had been good with patience anyway. « Who are you ? »

« That is of no importance. All that matters is that I have something you want. »

The blood left Anakin's face. Did he mean… ? « Where is my mother !? » he all but howled at the stranger.

Unfeathered, his interlocutor stepped aside, allowing the hologram to show one tired Shmi Skywalker. Anakin let a sigh of relief pass his lips. She didn’t seem hurt, though she may be if he didn’t get her out of this situation soon. Rassembling his determination, he looked at the stranger in the eyes - where had he seen him before ? - « What do you want ? »

« I want you to get me something from the Temple. An holocron. - » The stranger opened his mouth to say more, but Anakin beat him to it « An holocron !? That’s kriffing crazy ! There is no way they’ll allow me close to one by myself, let alone take it ! »

Catching his breath, Anakin tried to calm himself, counting slowly in his head as Obi-Wan taught him.

Frowning, the stranger, that Anakin was going to surname Angry Face, continued. « What you must bring is not a Jedi Holocron, but a Sith one »

Anakin scoffed, « And how am I supposed to do that ? Sith holocrons must be one of the things most closely guarded by the temple. » 

He couldn’t believe it. A Sith ? His mother had been taken by a Sith ? And they wanted him to steal one of their holocron from the Temple… 

« How you do it matters not. But, remember… » the Sith took his mother by the neck, activating his red lightsaber in front of her face. 

He couldn’t do it. It would be treason ! But the Jedi wouldn’t help him save his mother - they never freed her - and had all but excluded him since his arrival at the Temple. And if it could save his mother…

« I’ll do it. I’ll bring you a Sith holocron. Any is fine, right ? » Maybe he could find a failed holocron, no threatening enough that no one would miss it.

« Ani, don’t - » the lightsaber came closer, threateningly, effectively silencing what his mother tried to say.

« Yes. Bring it here. You have until next week. » Having probably said all he wanted to say, Angry Face cut the connection.

Anakin just stayed here, trying to find his way through the millions of thoughts turning in his head. A nudge through his bond woke him up. He had to get back to the Temple ! And for Obi-Wan to contact him… how much of his feelings had been sent through their link ?

He rushed out the hangar, wishing he could teleport in the Temple. He should prepare a good excuse while he still had the time, if his Master was aware of his disappearance.


	3. Day 1 - part 2

Slipping through the ventilation shaft of his chamber, Anakin pried the Force that his Master hadn’t checked his chamber. In which case, maybe he could just pass it off as a bad dream. Again. Ugh. This excuse was soon going to be useless if he didn’t want Obi-Wan to make him see a healer.

He tried to check the other end of his training bond one last time, before truly getting outside the shaft, but to no use. It was just as silent as it had been all the way back.

Seeing no point in hesitating, he jumped out of the tunnel, safely landing on his chamber ground. The sound of someone clearing his throat made him turn.

Leaning against the wall was Obi-Wan, arms crossed, one eyebrow raised, seemingly waiting for Anakin to explain himself.

He shouldn’t be surprised, truly. But still, he had hoped to escape this situation as he couldn’t, in any way, explain himself to his Master without putting his mother in danger. Unable to bear the look his Master sent his way any longer, he tried anyway.

« Master, I can explain ! It was just… » He looked down, unable to think of anything. And now, his Master must be so disappointed in him !

Sensing his worry, Obi-Wan came closer, lowering himself so that he could be face to face with Anakin. Which still refused to meet his eyes. 

« Then explain, my young Padawan. » The gentle voice of his Master made him look up an instant, before he remembered, and went back to studying the ground. Sighting, Obi-Wan took his shin, gently raising it so that Anakin had to look him in the eyes. « Explain to me, what were you doing outside our quarters, long past curfew, my Padawan. Instead of simply sleeping in your chamber, like, I am sure, any of your camarades are. »

A reflexion of light took his Master attention from him, and onto his waist. Fidgeting, he tried, uselessly, to hide the end of the _borrowed_ lightsaber pointing out of his shirt. Kriff. 

He was in deep banta shit, no doubt. And the Look, the one with raised eyebrows, was back. As if he could explain anything !

Suddenly, the lightsaber gave him an idea. He often struggled with meditation, and preferred mechanics, or, lightsaber training to clear his mind. And with the « bad dream » he had last time… the thought of lying to his Master made him cringue, but… he had no choice. He could pull it off. 

« I’m sorry, Master. I couldn’t sleep, and needed to clear my head. » Which was true. He was far too worried about his mother to sleep.

« Why didn’t you wake me up, then ? » his Master looked… almost sad. As if hurt by the fact that Anakin didn’t trust him enough to seek him out. No ! He couldn’t let him think that !

« It’s not like that Master ! I just… » Anakin gripped the edge of his shirt « I didn’t want to wake you. »

« Anakin… you should now you can **always** wake me, if you feel the need. I am your Master. »

« I- I promise, the next time I can’t sleep, I will » which was true. He didn’t exactly get out because he couldn’t sleep. Just because the Temple could be oppressing sometimes. And that racing was far too fun to be stopped just because some adults labeled it as _dangerous_.

« Now, my young Padawan, I believe it is time for you to get some sleep. Do you want to talk about what worried you before that ? »

Anakin shaked his head. He was already tired from all the action, and didn’t trust himself to not let something slip in his current state. 

« It is settled, then. We’ll talk about it tomorrow, in morning meditation. »

Anakin cringed. He truly wasn’t eager to have this discussion with his Master. He truly didn’t know how long he could evade him like that.

Obi-Wan began to go back to his own chambers, but stopped at the door. « Anakin ? » 

« Yes, Master ? » He had his palm open, as if waiting for Anakin to give him something. Seeing the latter didn’t understand, he pointed the recognizable bump on his waist.

« I **am** going to need that lightsaber, you know ? Or would you rather explain to Master Windu why one of the training lightsabers is missing ? I seem to recall he intended to work on his katta tonight. »

Anakin shuddered, and hurried to give the _borrowed_ weapon to his Master.

Obi-Wan wished good night to his hyperactive Padawan, and finally left. 

Now alone in his room, Anakin went back to the events of the day. He was sure he could put Obi-Wan off his back by telling him he had a nightmare about his mother. By the time his Master felt something was off, he would have rescued her, and she would be safe. Now, all that remained was finding a way to get a Sith holocron. He scowled. He had now idea how to pull **that** off.

But he was far too tired to think about that right now. Repressing a yawn, he drifted off to sleep.

That night, Anakin dreamt of Ekkreth and Jedis, freeing slaves from Siths Masters.


	4. Day 2

The next morning was fast past. Surprisingly, his Master accepted his explanation of the nightmare. He kept the content close enough to true - his mother getting kidnapped, his worry for leaving her behind on Tatooine (except his worst fear had already come true)... This seemed to convince his Master, but you never could be sure with Obi-Wan.

Still, the meditation passed without incident, and his relief to be done with it was clear in the Force.

After lunch at the cafet’ (since - because the day he would eat what his Master cooks would be the day the Galaxy was at war - Anakin found himself once again in class. He hadn’t the head to it, though, as he was thinking of a way to discretky get a Sith Holocron. As if echoing his thoughts, he suddenly heard « Sith Holocron » behind him. 

Was it just his ears playing him ? Anakin focused on the direction the word came from. Soon enough, he recognized the voice of another Padawan, Ferus Olin. He couldn’t join the conversation without getting caught by the Master teaching them, so he just listened.

« Yes, each History class. From tomorrow until the end of the week. » Ferus’s voice said.

« But… a Sith Holocron ? Aren’t they full of the Dark Side ? » another voice reacted, sounding mildly scared.

« We are not babies anymore ! You won’t fall to the Dark Side just by looking at it. Beside, Master Yoda said that since the Sith reappeared, it would do us good to study them. And he will be there to be sure nothing wrong happens, anyway. »

« Do you think he will let us touch it ? » a third child wondered.

« I doubt it. Besides, even if he did, he still wouldn’t let you. Remember the Thousand Fountain incident ? »

« Hey ! I didn’t know it would do that ! And - » Anakin stopped listening. All his thoughts were already focused on tomorrow. A Sith holocron ! In their History class ! The Force must be with him, helping him to protect his mother.

He just had to find a way to escape Master Yoda’s vigilance. Surely it wasn’t impossible… ? 

He found the way later that day, when Obi-Wan, and him by extension, were called to the Senate. Indeed, a rather violent dispute had arisen between two senators. And, as they threatened to declare war on each other, The Negotiator had been asked to mediate between the two parties, and hopefully let the quarrel end with a peaceful arrangement.

His Master sighed and accepted the Mission. Anakin prepared himself to endure being entoured by stupid Inner-Core politiciens. He was sure Obi-Wan took him to theses _diplomatics_ \- Anakin thought the word with distaste - Missions half to teach him about politics and patience, and half to punish him from all the times he ran away from another lecture. 

Though it may not be so bad if he crossed Chancellor Palpatine. The Chancellor was an occupied man but always found time for Anakin when he saw him in the Senate : saving him from the boring debates by taking him for a tour, oftenly telling him amazing stories (and if some of those stories went against the Jedi Code, he never told Obi-Wan).

Without surprise, soon after their arrival, they met with the Chancellor. Which, despite his Master's blatant disapproval, managed to take Anakin away with some well-placed arguments.

The day’s story was about a famous Thief, who stole the Rich to give to the Poor. As Palpatine came to a remarkable passage where the Thief stole the crown of a King, but never got caught, Anakin wondered…

« But, how could he never get caught ? I mean, surely, someone must have seen the crown missing, right ? »

« But that is the beauty of the thing, my dear boy. The thief replaced the crown with a false one, made of steel. And, day by day, the King wore the false crown, never noticing the symbol of his power missing, proud of the rock displayed on his head. » Palpatine shaked his head gently, as if amused by the blindness of this imaginary King.

« And the people never noticed ? » Anakin asked.

« The false crown was cheap but well-made. So no, they never did. » 

The Chancellor resumed his story, the Thief saving his loved ones, and buying his family a castle with the riches accumulated from his stealings. Anakin almost envied the Power of this Thief, able to protect what he loved so easily, but jealousy was not the Jedi way.

And he finally had a plan to save his mother ! Well, half a plan, truly, but it was more than enough. He still had three History classes this week. If he could recreate something looking like the Sith Holocron between the first and last class, then maybe no one would ever notice it had ever been taken. 

The way back to the Temple was silent : Obi-Wan was tired of his day of arguing - he had managed to convince the two belligerent to come to an accord, stooding to his reputation as The Negotiator - and Anakin was thinking of the Thief, and how one could make a replica so real he was never caught.


	5. Day 3

Once again, Anakin didn’t see the morning pass. He was, for once, remarkably focused on his morning meditation : he tried to remember all he knew about the holocron, mentally creating something like one in his head, referencing all the tools and parts he may need. 

The lightsaber practice they did right after - Obi-Wan found out it was easier for Anakin to deal with his frustration about meditating if he could evacuate it - went just as well. Anakin always liked it, and felt he needed it now more than ever as a backup plan for if anything went wrong - and something told him it _always_ went wrong.

On top of it, his mood seemt to reassure his Master who was getting quite worried about his behavior the past few days. And to beat it all, there had been his favorite dessert at the cafeteria ! All in all, it had been a wonderful morning.

As such, he felt more ready than ever when he found himself in front of the classroom door. He tried to put up some shields, not wanting Master Yoda to catch onto his unusual interest for the holocron, and failed miserably. Kriff it, it shouldn’t be too strange to be curious about a _Sith Holocron_ , right ?

Taking a deep, calming breath, he entered the classroom. Inside were other Initiates and Padawan, but no teacher. A few minutes later, the teacher arrived, Master Yoda in tow. 

The little green Jedi carried a box with him, which he posed on the teacher dext. Hoping next to it, he settled on the dext, looking at all of them but none of them at once. Seeming satisfied, he began to talk :

« Curious of what I brought you are, hmm ? » his ears twitched as he spoke « The knowledge of the Sith, you seek ? »

The may-be Jedi presents answered as one « No, Master Yoda ». Anakin, well-used to pass himself off as a Jedi, answered as well.

« Then why, » the green little Master asked, « the Sith Holocron to see you want ? »

Silence met his question. After a while, a Padawan, unable to bear the Master’s intense stare, answered.

« Because we must ‘know our enemy' in order to fight them »

Master Yoda rested on his stick. « A good answer, that is. But the Sith, our ennemis are not ». The tap of his cane on the desk punctuated his words : « Fight them, we must not. » 

Anakin was confused. Weren’t the Sith the bad guys ? They took his mother ! Why shouldn’t he fight them ? Before he could stop himself, the words poured out of his mouth.

« But, Master Yoda. The Sith are evil, right ? Then how could they not be the enemy ? And they attacked us, don’t we need to fight to defend against them ? »

« The dark path wrong it is, yes. » The green little Master acquiesced. « But the Jedi way, revenge is not. » He shook his head. « Enemies, Jedi have not. » He then looked at Anakin right in the eyes, slightly smiling as he said : « To stop them you need, hmm. But to fight them, you do not. »

Anakin didn’t seem to be the only one confused about it, as another Youngling raised his voice, attiring the Master’s attention.

« I don’t understand, Master. How can we stop them if we don’t fight them ? »

« To stop you from stealing his groceries, your Master, fight you does not, hmm ? » The young Padawan blushed.

Questions answered, Master Yoda opened the box, revealing something Anakin knew to be the Sith Holocron. He could feel the Dark Side swirl around it from here. Anakin stopped.

 _That_ may be an issue. He wasn’t close enough to be sure, but he was confident he could reproduce the Holocron apparence. Recreate the way the Force bent around it, though ? Not as easy.

Meanwhile, the others Initiates and Padawans were coming closer to the Holocron, Master Yoda lecturing them about the Dark Side and encouraging them to feel it. To recognize it in order to be able to refuse it’s Temptation.

Anakin hurried to rejoin the others. Now closer, he could see the Holocron clearly. And it’s structure wasn’t at all what he had imagined ! It would be a challenge, for sure ! He grinned.

He was so absorbed in his study of the foreign technology he only half-listened to Master’s Yoda lecture, and failed to notice the others living. The sound of a voice next to him made him jump.

« Interested in the Holocron are you, young Skywalker ? » the old Jedi giggled.

« No ! - I mean… Yes, Master. » Anakin inwardly cursed. He had to mess everything up, didn’t he ? But maybe he could make Master Yoda believe… « I find it’s structure really interesting. Do you know how it manages to stock and class all these information ? And the way the Force bends around it, even though it’s not sentient... »

The sound of giggles made him stop. He had lost himself in his talk, hadn’t he ? And it wasn’t even intentionally… But he wasn’t lying, even without the necessity of The Plan, he really found the Holocron structure interesting ! How come he had never thought that before ? But he had just shown Passion, and it wasn’t the Jedi way...

« Sorry Master, I know it’s improper for a Jedi to - »

The green creature interrupted him « Excuse yourself for what you like, you shall not, young Skywalker. Maybe Jocasta Nu to show you her collection, you may ask ? »

« Yes, Master » Anakin acquiesced. He then gathered his stuff and hurried to exit the classroom before he said or did something to put the venerable Jedi on his trail. Asking the Head Archivist to show him some Holocrons, even if they were *Jedi* Holocron, may be a good idea though. But he didn’t want to attract too much attention to his sudden interest in the subject for now. So he would go to her _only_ if he really needed to in order to make his Replica.

The rest of the day passed without further incident, though Anakin paid little attention to class. He was planning for his nexts steps, the Holocron proving to be much more complex than he had expected.

He paid a visit to the Hangar before Dinner, taking all the junk he thought he needed to begin his Replica. The staff were more than used to seeing him embark things to tinker in his chambers - to Obi-Wan damn, as he couldn’t put one feet in Anakin’s room without walking on some pointy stuff. Which meant there was no risk of raising suspicion by amassing the necessary materials - not that anyone would understand what he intended to do with it anyway.

The feeling in the Force was another issue, but he already had an Idea to deal with it. He would take care of it Tomorrow, in the next Pod’s Race Gathering - and he had to make sure he escaped Obi-Wan **properly** this time. His Master had increased his vigilance after his Padawan’s first disappearance - from _his_ point of view - some days ago.

Anakin went to sleep anxious, but feeling ready. And he woke up screaming.


	6. Day 4

Nightmares were not uncommon to Anakin. Truly, they were not. It didn’t stop him from feeling guilty about waking up Obi-Wan when his Master came into his room, though. He was too big to fret over nightmares now.

Still, he couldn’t help but bathe in Obi-Wan’s presence, enjoying his Master reassurance more than, as a Jedi, he ought to. Even if the older man continued to lecture him and say things like _let her go_ when they talked about how much he missed his Mother. He had learned not to mention her when he began his apprenticeship, but in the light of the recents events, old arguments had come back.

He didn’t ressent his Master, not really. Obi-Wan was a Perfect Jedi after all, so it was natural that he couldn’t understand how overwhelming Anakin’s feelings could be sometimes. 

Nonetheless, the day began with an argument between them - which was bad - and Anakin passed the rest of the morning and the afternoon sulking. 

Usually, Obi-Wan tried his best to calm Anakin down after they fought, but he had mentioned Qui Gon. Quite predictably, his Master had closed off, and went on his day as if nothing had happened.

Now, either one of them would come around and excuse himself - which happened less and less as Anakin grew - or they would just ignore the incident until another, more violent argument. The second situation being the most likely.

Either way there would be tension between them for a while, and Anakin couldn’t wait to escape to his race pod and fly.

The advantage of their fight - if there was one - was that he had a ready excuse - evading Obi-Wan - to retire to his chambers as soon as he could and tinker with his _would-be_ Holocron.

His Master, used to Anakin’s tinkering when upset, wouldn’t even suspect he was creating something with a _purpose_.

Then, as night falls, more or less sure Obi-Wan was asleep - or expecting Anakin to be, at least -, he escaped through his ventilation shaft. Thankfully, his Master hadn’t had time to tamper with it yet - after having caught him out of the shaft. Otherwise, getting out of their common appartements might have been difficult.

The race was, as always, exhilarating. So much he almost forgot what he came for. Escaping through the masses of Coruscant underworld, before one of them recognized the Padawan of the _Sith Slayer_ \- winning podraces didn’t help him on that point, but he _needed_ it so much ! -, he carefully headed for what was nicknamed _the haunted zone_.

The rumors had begun last year. Little by little, he had heard people talking about a haunted area near the racing circuit. Accidents increased and inexplicable deaths happened.

Since then, the Force sent him feelings of _bad, wrong, wrong, bad_ each time he came too close to the zone. So, maybe, _maybe_ , it was the work of some Sith Artifacts laying around… He knew it was absurd, but couldn’t stop hopping.

Without anything to imitate the Holocron aura, he would get caught as soon as he did the switch. And, _for his Mother_ , he couldn’t afford that to happen.

Ignoring the Force’s warning for one of the first times in his life, he approached the cursed area. It was an abandoned sector, as everyone had left it at some point, or died.

Anakin shooted in some buildings remains, sensing he was coming closer to the darkness’s center.

Soon enough, he stood in front of what seemed to be an abandoned lab, having been half wiped out by some _force_ exploding inside.

The Force was howling in his ears now _danger, danger, leave, leave_ mixed with _pain, pain, hate,_ **hate**

And suddenly, he wasn’t on Coruscant anymore.

Standing under the despicable light of Tatooine’s Suns, he narrowed his eyes, trying to understand what had happened.

But before he could take anymore of his surroundings, he heard his Mother cries « Ani ! » and he was engulfed in her embrace.

« Come, Ani, let’s go home » his Mother said. And then, suddenly, he didn’t care about where he was anymore. His Mother was here, she was happy, _he_ was happy.

He followed her, his hand in hers, into one of the big Tatooine's houses he dreamt of having Before.

« It’s our ? » he asked, unsure

But his Mother just smiles, her presence radiating « Yes, my Ani. It’s all ours, thanks to you »

He beamed, happy he had finally offered her the Home she deserved.

As he entered, though, he paused. Inside stood Obi-Wan, smiling at him.

« I’m proud of you, Anakin » his Master said.

« You… are not mad ? » Anakin was still hesitant, something off about the world around him

« About what ? You are the best Son I could have ever hope to have » Obi-Wan-not-Obi-Wan said.

Something was off, but everything was so _good_ ! Anakin didn’t want to leave.

They talked about their day, praising Anakin about his work, his attitude, his _everything_ , really, and they went to eat like a real family, dishes of all kinds on the table.

The light in the room dimmed little by little, as the dinner went on. Soon, the wind began howling against the windows, stronger each minute.

« It’s nothing, Ani » his Mother reassured him. « Just The Sandstorm outside. But you are safe here. »

He looked dutifully at the window, seemingly ready to break any time, but chose to believe Smi’s words. If she said they were alright, then they were. 

He turned around, wanting to question Obi-Wan about another of his adventures, but his Master features had changed from gentle to stone hard.

« Obi-Wan ? » he questioned hesitantly 

« I’m disappointed in you, Anakin. How could you betray the order ? » Betray the Order ? He _hadn’t_ ! Except if… had his Master found out about the Holocron ?

He panicked. He couldn’t have ! But the way he was looking at him… As if he was a Failure, undeserving of everything his Master had given him… 

« You don’t understand ! I had to do it ! I had to save her ! » He cried. To be judged like that, when he had taken the only decision he could ! It was _unfair_ !

The window broke, and the sand covered everything, the house morphing into the Temple’s cantina.

Scared, he took his Mother’s hand. At least _she_ was fine, so everything would be alright, wouldn’t it ?

« But you failed ! » Padawans had encircled them and laughed - in what was probably un-Jedi-like behavior - at them.

He squeezed at the warm flesh in his hand, but felt a sensation of wetness. Rising his head, he saw that her Mother was bleeding, blood falling from every orifice.

He stepped back and screamed, dropping her now _red_ hand.

« You Failed ! » numerous, unknown faces mocked. The sand was getting everywhere, shaping figures into the air, giving them perturbing expressions.

In the cacophony of _failed, failed, failed_ , one of the shapeless forms approached. It grew and took a Zabrak form. One he knew far too well.

Maul smiled « And now, because of you, she will die ! »

« No ! I did everything you asked of me ! You promised ! Why !? » Tears began falling down his cheeks, and it was _wrong_ , water is _precious_ , _you mustn’t waste it Ani_.

The red Alien didn’t answer, just took out what Anakin knew was a _detonator_. The one who could activate a slave’s chip.

« Mum ! » he cried, trying to fight against the unbelievable 

« Ani » his Mother gently said, caressing his cheek. He already knew what she was going to say. _Everything is going to be okay, Ani. Don’t lose hope. It will be alright_.

Before she had the time to utter even one of those words, Anakin’s world exploded.

He felt everything at once, and there was so, _so much_ Darkness, it _hurts_ , _stop, please stop !_

It’s not real, it’s not real, it’s not real, a voice was saying. _His_ voice.

His Mother was alive, he knew she was ! In the middle of the Storm, he heard his Master’s voice _trust in the Force, Anaki_

And so he did. And suddenly, he could feel it. Her light. Dimmed, but there. She was alive. It was just an illusion.

He remembered, then. Where he was. What he had gone to do. Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes.

He was still in the lab, though he now saw much more. He could feel the Force, the Darkness swirl around an object in the center of the room. What he came for.

Coming closer, he recognized it to be a kyber crystal, but it was dark red, almost black. It sang, now, feeling him close. Songs of anger, of pain, of _power_. Songs of regrets, of loss… and of _want_.

He took it in his palm, amazed at the feeling of _love_ emanating from something so Dark.

It sent it visions of what happened here, in the lab. Visions of Force sensitive children growing together, surviving hardships together. Killing each others.

Whatever experiment had gone here had killed everyone and resulted in this strange, twisted kyber, which whispered non-stop _love, acceptance, love_ to him. Murmuring forgiveness for any flaws he may have, promises of _power_ and _knowledge_.

As entrance in the crystal as he was, he didn’t notice the other presence stopping behind him.

« Anakin ! » his Master's hard tone, laced with disappointment was so much like the one vision-Obi-Wan had used that, for an instant, as he turned around, Anakin stepped back.

Wrong choice.

His Master took his arm, looking now more angry than before « What were you thinking !? »

Anakin stayed silent, looking down. Cautiously hiding the _precious_ kyber crystal in one of his pockets, and carefully enveloping it in his Force signature, hoping it would mask the crystal’s Dark one.

His Master took him outside, lecturing him non-stop about safety rules and Jedi behavior. After a few minutes of Anakin unresponding, Obi-Wan stopped and took him by the shoulder, looking at him in the eyes.

« Why, Anakin, why ? » Anakin cringed. He couldn’t lie to his Master, not when he looked at him like that, desperate to know what was going on in his Padawan’s head. But he couldn’t tell him the truth either.

He settled for a compromise. « I- I needed to Podrace. »

He felt his Master’s shock through their Bond, then his Anger at Anakin’s putting himself into danger for mere amusement. And then disappointment - more, at least - at him repeatedly breaking the rules and _lying_ to him - as he knew there must have been other races before this one, where Anakin slipped away unremarked.

« … I see. » was all his Master said, before hopping him on the speeder and heading towards the Temple massive outline.

That was it. He wouldn’t be able to feel the joy of winning the race again. After all, he would never be able to get out of the Temple at night now. Kriff ! How was he going to meet with Maul at the rendezvous point, then !?

He closed his hand on the kyber crystal to reassure himself. _Everything will be alright_ , the crystal sang. _I’ll be there. I’ll help you_. And, as he once did his Mother, Anakin believed it.


	7. Day 5 - Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, I’m back ! Sorry for being so late... I... kind of failed at my attempt of schedule of 1 chapter / week. I had to focus on other things (like preparing the end of the semester), so...
> 
> I can’t really predict when the next chapter will be either (Tomorrow ? In one month ?), but I’ll try to get at least one per week ! Try.
> 
> Well, then, hope you’ll enjoy !

Anakin was frustrated. The strange kyber crystal was amazing but not what he needed !

Today was their only day off, and, not wanting to see Obi-Wan, he stayed in his room, missing morning meditation. Instead, he had fiddled with his replica, trying to assemble the pieces into something like the Holocron.

But memories alone weren’t enough, and his Replica just wouldn’t come together ! He threw one of the _useless_ pieces of junk at the wall. He cringed at the _cling_ noise the metal made. 

Great. Now his Master would remember his existence. Or, most exactly, his absence.

Indeed, a few minutes later, he heard Obi-Wan’s voice behind the door.

« Anakin. We need to talk. »

Yeah, sure. Hello Master. How are you, Master ? Could you please forget everything that happened yesterday, Master ? 

The last thing Anakin wanted at the moment was one of Obi-Wan’s hours-long lectures. And, he had to admit, he didn’t want to answer his questions. It would mean lying to him, more than he already did. No, his Master was better off in the dark, unknowing of Anakin’s worst transgressions.

But to escape his Master, he would have to leave the chamber - as Obi-Wan didn’t seem ready to leave him alone. There was no telling when he would understand Anakin wasn’t going to open the damn door, and enter anyway.

He looked around, and spotted the ventilation shaft. It hadn’t been closed down yet, but it would soon be. He didn’t have to be discreet about it anymore, right ?

He hid the kyber crystal in one of his hidden pockets - next to some cash he always had on him, just in case. He then hid his Replica - which was finally beginning to look like something - under his bed, and began the well-known action of traveling through the ventilation’s tunnels. If he concealed his presence right, he had at least until mid-afternoon before being found by his Master.

Now… where to go ? He couldn’t exit the Temple, as it would be playing too much on his Master’s nerve. He couldn’t really go to the Hangar or to the Lightsaber Practice Room - Obi-Wan would immediately find him there.

Which let… the Thousands Fountains Room - with enough Jedi’s to hide his presence -, or the Library - probably the last place his Master would expect him to be. 

Anakin remembered Yoda’s words about asking the Chief Librarian information on Holocrons. The Library it was, then !

He navigated through the ventilation system until reaching a hallway he knew was always empty.

From there, it was easy to find his way towards the huge doors of the Library, an inconspicuous Padawan among others.

As he entered, Anakin hesitated. Master Jocasta Nu was kind of scary, and if he could avoid having to ask her directly, he would. Surely he didn’t need her to find information on Holocrons in the Archive, right ?

Making a wide berth around the Master’s Archivist desk, he began his search. And, sure enough, he found the Holocron section in no time at all. 

A while passed as he explored the section, going randomly from page to page. _What is an Holocron for Initiates ; The Holocrons History ; the Dangers of Sith Holocrons ; the best Cooking Advice Holocrons_ That was a thing ? _Next Holocrons Annuary Exposition_... He had forgotten about that. Maybe …? He checked the date. It was planned in 3 month.

Frustrated, Anakin shooted in one of the sheef. There was information, for sure ! Loads of it. The problem was with finding _useful_ one.

« Having issues, young one ? »

A voice behind him made him jump. Turning around, he saw the Chief Librarian standing over him.

« No, it’s fine, Master… » Anakin got cut middle sentence. 

« None of that with me. » She smiled « Madame Librarian is fine. »

She then proceeded to stand there, as if knowing that despite Anakin’s refusal, he needed her. He was being stupid about it, he knew. And how much time before a Knight told his Master he had seen him in the Archive ?

Clenching his fists, Anakin gathered himself.

« I… Finally, I need your help, Madame Librarian » He looked at her, determined, and received a knowing smile in return.

« Sure. What do you need help with ? »

It was the moment. « I would like to know about Holocrons. » He cringed. Obviously. He was kind of in the right section for that. « More particularly about the craft of Holocrons, be it Sith’s or Jedi’s »

He received a surprise look. « How we make Holocrons ? Why would a Padawan like you be interested in that ? »

Anakin glanced sideways. « Master Yoda brought this Holocron in class… And I found it, kind of interesting, you know ? I mean, how come we can stock so much information in it, even the feel of the Force ? And I’m good at mechanics, so I thought… Maybe, I could create one ? »

At that, Master Jocasta Nu laughed. « I very much doubt you can create an Holocron, young one. But I can help you find how one is made, and even show you another exemple, if you would like ? »

She led him to a corner of the section, mumbling _Mmh, where is it ? I was sure it was somewhere near that..._ And he patiently waited, plunged in his thoughts, until a satisfied « Found it ! » made him raise his eyes.

She gave him some kind of essay named _Are Holocrons bound to Disappear ?_ , saying « Try that. It should have the most precise description you can find. And come to me when you are finished, I should have something for you »

He was then left alone, with what he hoped was a useful schematic. He scanned the room, and settled at an empty table from which he could observe the Chief Librarian from the corner of his eyes.

Grimacing at what promised to be a long study - probably to be ended abruptly by his Master -, but hopefully a rich one, he plunged himself in the explanations of _Are Holocrons bound to Disappear ?_.

**Author's Note:**

> Tells me your thoughts, it will make me happy ! :)  
> (And may, or may not, motivate me to write the next one :) )
> 
> Thanks for reading !


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